


Souls Soaked in Blood

by cryysis



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Blood, Cannibalism, Child Murder, F/M, Hell, Horror, Mental Institutions, The Good Guys Don't Always Win, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:06:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27289126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryysis/pseuds/cryysis
Summary: There are eyes in the windows, and fog on the ground. Blood covers the walls.They were innocent once. But not anymore.Kagome Higurashi is a student determined to bring to light humanities injustices against demon-kind. The city has finally given her permission to exploreMidoriko's Sanatorium,an abandoned mental hospital made famous for its 'reformed citizens.' This is the chance she's always dreamed of.Soon, she'll understand why her dreams should have been nightmares.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Kouga
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Souls Soaked in Blood

**Author's Note:**

> So this idea has definitely changed since it first popped in my head, but I like of like where it's ended up. My contribution to the KogKag Halloween Event! 
> 
> Please beware the tags.

The building was more than run down, it had  _ aged _ , and not well. Ivy climbed fractured walls, holes in its rotting bricks allowing decades of foul weather to tear its insides apart. Sacred spells and sealing wards were burnt and carved into the iron gate surrounding the asylum, entombing a terrifying silence. Entering the grounds was going to put her in horrific amounts of danger.

_ Finally. _ She couldn’t wait.

Kagome Higurashi stood outside the chained gate, notebook clutched to her chest, small backpack hanging low at her side. The cool air sent shivers over her skin, briefly distracting her, but it was the clanking of heavy chains that finally pulled her from her thoughts.

Only a little sheepish, the city worker pulled the rest of the chains from the iron gates and let them drop to the ground. “All set. You sure you don’t want me to wait with you until your escort gets here?”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” She offered him a smile, nervous excitement making her blood tingle. “I’m just really excited. I still can’t believe the city agreed to let me do this.”

The man snorted, golden eyes narrowing at the building in displeasure. “Neither can I.”

Realizing her error, she winced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound…”

“I get it.” He let his gaze fall to her, tone cautious but curious despite himself. “Why are you doing this, anyway? You know they use to house demons and shit in this place, right?”

“I know.” Determination straightened her spine, fingers curling to a fist with the strength of her resolution. “What they did in these places was more than shameful, it was barbaric. Yet even now, there are still psychologists who believe the men and women who ran these facilities had it right. That demons should be locked up in places like this.” Blue eyes met gold. “I won’t let it stand. My research is going to prove to them just how monstrous the practices of places like these really were.”

Her temporary companion studied her, removing his cap briefly to scratch behind fuzzy white ears. “Not a lot a’ people aren’t gonna thank you for it. ’Specially in this town.”

“Well, then those people are just going to have to get over it. I’m not here to make them feel better about themselves. I’m here to set things right.”

Snorting, the city worker replaced his ball cap, hands sliding into his pockets. “You sure you don’t want to wait? Guys gonna be here any minute.”

The young college student shook her head. “I’m going in. I promise not to go too far though, not until he gets here.”

Seemingly satisfied, the tall male pulled open the gate, the pair wincing slightly at the scrapping of old metal. With a last, grateful smile, she stepped through it. “Thanks again.”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Kagome turned to head inside, but his voice called her back. “Be careful in there, okay? And… thanks, for doing this. Not sure it’ll help in the long run, but… thanks.”

She nodded, and the gruff half-demon finally released the gate and left her on her own.

The gates slam preceded another blast of cold air, producing a full body shiver that she felt all the way down to her spine.

Opening her notebook, she reread the bits of information she’d found in her earlier research. For years the city had tried to tear down the building and repurpose the land around it. But the angry spirits of its long dead demonic inhabitants were still tied to it. If they had only been human, that might not have given them any delays. But the immeasurable amounts of spilled of demon blood gave these spirits power to last through the ages. And they would not be silenced.

Her guide still wasn’t there, but the sun hung bright in the sky. It would be hours before nightfall, and so long as she didn’t disturb the inhabitants or try to make any threats, she would be safe. Kagome had waited two years to get here. She refused to wait a second more.

After removing a few items from her bag, Kagome hefted it’s light weight over her bag and began.

Going over the grounds was her first priority, taking images of the state of the building and the grounds with the small camera that now hung from her wrist. Flashing lights would have attracted the wrong kind of attention, thus her early morning start. Plenty of natural light for the pictures she’d need.

Glass crunched under the thick soles of her hiking boots, briefly drawing her attention. Squatting, she used the end of her pen to shift through the shards beneath her feet. While the glass itself wasn’t out of place, the sheer amount of it was astounding, especially since the building had been designed with minimal windows.

Carefully, she picked up a few pieces and dropped them into one of her many plastic bags. She’d borrowed them from her roommate, a crime scene investigator who had access to more strongly made items than the rest of the human population. Not only would they help keep her findings better protected, they would help ensure her own safety as well.

After another handful of photos, Kagome continued to make her way around the building. Aside from the glass, so far she hadn’t found anything concerning. Perhaps they’d done all their practices inside the building?

When she turned the corner, Kagome had to swallow the sudden bile that rose in her throat. With nothing to block the sunlight, every detail of the horrors that occurred here was laid bare before her eyes.

At the edge of the property stood a concrete wall nearly ten feet high. Dozens of shackles hung from rusted spokes, outlined by bursts of black, incinerated  _ youki, _ and the deep red of demons' blood. The blood was spread all over the wall, showcasing the various sizes of demons who’d faced their deaths here. But the  _ youki  _ was more concentrated. Some of the bursts were as large as the wall itself, misshapen or deformed. Others were around her size, smaller or larger depending on the ages and types of demons who’d been killed there.

But it was the smallest bursts, the ones that barely reached her knees, that brought tears to her eyes.

These monsters hadn’t just killed demons. They’d even killed their offspring. Children, toddlers, infants. Younglings barely old enough to be away from their mothers. And they’d  _ killed them. _

Swallowing hard, Kagome scrubbed at the tears falling from her eyes. She wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it for the remainder of her time here, but she  _ would _ put a stop to it. She wouldn’t let these people be forgotten.

A high pitched hum rippled through her ears, and Kagome turned towards the source of the sound. Hovering in the air beside her was a young water sprite. Long, finlike ears protruded from the sides of her head, delicate features visible only by the light shining through her misting form. Normally, sprites like these were vivid blues and greens, water droplets falling to the ground as they replenished the earth near their homes. This one had been dead for years.

The hum sounded again, questioning now, and the sprite drew nearer, inspecting the last of her tears as they fell down her face. Kagome tried to smile, but she knew she sounded watery even before she spoke. “Hello there,” she said, letting the sprite spin around her in slow circles. The dew it left behind made her cold. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you. My name’s Kagome.”

It stared at her, not understanding. It had likely died too young to learn human speech. Sniffling, Kagome dug in her bag and pulled out a small river stone. She held it up for the sprite’s inspection. “Here. It’s a present for you, an offering. Will you accept it?”

The sprite leaned forward, and seeming to realize what it was, trilled happily. It twirled around her happily, trilling the entire time. It’s pleasure made Kagome smile, and when it spun around her hand gestured her forward, she willingly followed.

The sprite led her to what looked like a pond, not far from the wall covered in death and despair. It showed her to the water’s edge, and at its direction, she placed her gift where she was bade.

The sprite seemed more excited now, twirling around her once more motioning her forward towards a large tree at the corner of the grounds. Following quietly, she allowed herself to smile at the sprite's clear happiness. Meager as it was against all of the tragedy that had occurred here, it gave her hope. Perhaps some day, the angered spirits could find peace.

Closer now, she could see that the tree she stood before was once a magnificent magnolia tree. But its limbs were bare, the earth around it cracked and dry. Had it been deliberately planted here?

The sprite trilled and cooed around it’s trunk, misty hands leaving small droplets in its wake. Poor thing. Even now, after who knew how many years, it was trying to do right by what it believed was its territory.

A loud groan of wood made her jump in surprise, eyes widening as the bark shifted midway up the enormous trunk. What she had thought was a large knot in the wood twisted and reformed, until what looked like the face of an old man took shape. It’s expression was neutral, and when it spoke, dried up leaves and other small debris flew from the wind formed by his mouth. 

“Who are you, human, to trespass here?”

She stood for another moment, gaping, before rapidly shaking her head in an effort to clear it. “My name is Kagome, tree-sama,” she said nervously, bowing low. “I apologize for intruding. I am a student, you see. I have come here to study.”

“To study, it says,” the tree could not growl but its branches shook, groans breaking the silence as it lifted its roots in a clear threat. “You wish to study the torture your predecessors inflicted on kind? You wish to  _ learn _ from them?!”

“No, tree-sama, no!” Kagome only just dodged a massive root aimed for her head, but a swipe from behind knocked her off her feet. “Tree-sama, wait, please!”

Vines twisted and tangled around her legs, dragging her to its base. The earth split wide, a dark hole opening wide as it made to swallow her whole. Fear clawed its way up her throat, and Kagome knew that if it managed to pull her in, she would never escape alive.

_ “Please, tree-sama, wait, please!” _

Sharp trills followed her cries, and the old tree slowed to a stop, listening to the sprite’s cries. Kagome barely moved, afraid of drawing its notice to her, along with its rage. 

“I see,” the vines untwined from her legs, allowing her to make a hasty retreat. “And you believe her intentions pure?” Realizing the old tree wasn’t talking to her, Kagome straightened tentatively, unsure. The sprite floated back to her, twirling around her body once more before settling at her shoulder. Once more it trilled.

“You are yet young, spriteling,” the old tree’s roots found their homes in the dirt, it’s branches straightening back to the sky. “Death has not tainted your innocence yet. You may be easily deceived.” The sprites angry hissing skittered along her nerves, but still Kagome didn’t move. With a last gust of wind, the tree seemed to sigh, and finally settle back to its place. “Very well. I will listen to the human. But if I am not satisfied, her life is forfeit. Are we agreed?”

_ She _ certainly didn’t agree, but apparently she had no say in the matter. The sprite seemed to study it’s friend, as if assuring itself of the promise to leave its human unharmed. It must have been satisfied, for it to settle, resting its misty chin on the top of her head and hovering behind her.

Swallowing hard, Kagome met the old tree's eyes once more. She would have bowed again, but worried about upsetting the sprite. “Th-thank you, tree-sama, for sparing me.”

“Do not thank me, human, for it was regretfully done.” The sprites trilled in annoyance, but was ignored. “Had the spriteling not interfered, I would have entombed you beneath my roots as I have others before you.”

Her face paled. “Y-yes. I understand, tree-sama.”

The bark of its eyes seemed to study her. “You will explain your presence here, human. And know that if your answer displeases me,” a wall of roots and vines sprang from the ground behind her, encasing her within them, “you will pay for it with your life.”

_ Well, there goes my option of running away screaming. _ Rather than say that out loud and get herself in even more trouble, Kagome took a moment to try to calm her rapidly beating heart. She would have to tread lightly.

Clearing her throat, she straightened her spine. “A-as I said, tree-sama, I am here to learn.  _ Not _ ,” she quickly added, “to learn how they hurt demon kind. At least, not the way you think. I want to show people the tragedies that happened here. To show them that no matter what they think, demon-kind belongs here just as much as humanity does. Humans accuse demons of being monsters, but places like  _ this _ ,” she spat the word, “prove it isn’t demons who are monsters. It’s us. It’s humans.”

“You are only half right, human.” The wall had not moved from behind her, but the magnolia tree’s rage seemed to have calmed some. “Humans are indeed monsters. But then, too, so were some of the inhabitants here.”

Kagome shook her head. “I refuse to believe that. Any evil that was dragged out of the demons here was done so by humans. Demons can be dark, I agree. But they are no more inherently evil than a volcano or a tsunami.”

The demon tree laughed, more at her expense than anything. “You prove nothing, girl. Only that humans are as pitiful as they have always been. You seek understanding, but you will not look truth in the eye.” The vines split, showing her the blood and youki stained wall. “It is true. Many of those who died there were innocent, as you say. And many more had been driven to madness by the tortures inflicted upon them.” The vines closed, hiding the wall once again. “But some came here born with evil in their hearts. Evil that twisted the minds of our ‘caretakers’ and turned them into something even worse.”

The sprite had begun to dissipate the longer the tree spoke, it’s form now barely visible in the small shafts of light. Kagome’s gasp was one of worry and concern, but she didn’t know how to help. “What’s wrong with them?!”

“The spriteling knows of whom I speak. Even now, the mention of such things frightens them.” The sprite was almost completely invisible now. “It will fade, and be remade on the marrow. Such is the way of things.”

“But there must be something I can do to help them!”

“There is nothing that can be done.” In silence, the tree watched as the sprite completely faded from view. “For the spriteling, I will allow you to leave. But know that if you linger, the spirits that live here will claim you.”

“I have a guide,” Kagome said sadly, her hands hovering in the air where her friend had been. “A Buddhist monk. He’s meant to escort me through.”

“He will not be able to.” She turned sharply in surprise. “What lingers here will reach him, as it will reach you. If you stay any longer, you will not leave this place alive.”

Heart pounding in her chest, Kagome let the words sit heavily in her mind. This magnolia tree had been here for who knew how many years. Many of the inhabitants had not been officially recorded in the asylum’s files, but other records had shown proof of other species' existence. “Tree-sama… Can you tell me what really happened here? The reports said there had been an attack on the staff, but…”

“All I can tell you is that there was an uproar in the night some years ago, and then a purification of such strength as I have ever seen. By morning, all who had been here were vanquished.”

What he said fell in line with what she’d read before coming here. Almost 60 years ago there had been a clash of power that had nearly destroyed the building and all those who had been inside. The staff had lived, with only minor injuries and one death recorded. But none of the demons had survived.

Turning, she Kagome bowed low to the old tree. “Thank you, tree-sama, for your warning. I will take care while I am here.” Her eyes glinted as she straightened. “But I came here with a purpose. And danger or no, I cannot abandon it. The residents who died here deserve better.”

The old tree rumbled, sounding almost like a laugh. “They have no capacity to appreciate your martyrdom, human. Staying here means you will only be sacrificing yourself to them.”

“If that is to be my fate, then so be it, but I do not think it will be. Good day to you, tree-sama.”

Her farewell allowed her to turn from her once attacker and head further into the decaying property. She heard the groaning of wood, and could only assume the great tree was returning to its sleep.

As the girl went on with her work, she was unaware of the eyes watching her from the shadows undisturbed by the sun’s rays. They looked on the human girl who had trespassed in their midst with only one thought on their mind:

**_Hunger._ **

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr at cryysiswritesthings!


End file.
